


Between Land and Sea

by DesiredXDreams



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Eren's a little shit, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Human!Levi, I'll add more as I go, M/M, Merman!Armin, Merman!Eren, Prince!Eren, Slow Build, Smut, Top Eren Yeager, im not crazy i swear, its not what you think, lots and lots of fluff, mermaid!mikasa, nurse!Levi, the sea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2018-12-09 03:39:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11660865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesiredXDreams/pseuds/DesiredXDreams
Summary: Levi moved away from his old life to start a new. Living on the beach proved to be a wonderful choice, that is, until he met a very fishy neighbor.





	1. Within the sea

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah i'm bad a summaries... but I hope you enjoy!

The sun shone through the white curtains covering the whole room. The first light of day, something he never missed. Levi groaned slightly before opening his eyes and turning to look at the brightness. He got up from his bed and stretched before maneuvering his way towards the kitchen. After making himself some coffee, he then walked out of his simple cottage. As he stepped out, he was greeted with the warm rays of the sun and the salty air of the ocean.

He never thought of himself as a beach person until he moved here, to the island of Moloka’i. It is one of the islands of Hawaii, right next to Maui and Lana’i. Not very populous, there are people living here but it’s not a major tourist area like the other big islands. Yeah there are still tourists, just not as much. He recently moved there to get away from everything, to start fresh.

He hasn’t been here long, about 3 weeks, and he’s glad this was the spot. His decision process on decided where to move was solely based on throwing a dart at a map. The dart didn’t exactly land on this island but the spot was closer to this one than the others.

Being a B.S.N also helped seeing as he could potentially work anywhere. He had a job interview the next morning at the local hospital so he was going to enjoy his last day of lounging about.

Walking along the sand on his own little private beach was calming. It wasn’t really his “private” beach but his cottage was the only one around that he could see. The only reason he bought the thing was because of the cheap pricing. It wasn’t special like the amazing beach houses of Florida, it was small and lonely.

The cottage consisted of a living room, bathroom, kitchen area, and bedroom. Nothing big and fancy; perfect for him and only him. He didn’t have much furniture in it due to the fact that he hasn’t bought any yet. There was a small couch in the center of his living room and a tv that sat on the floor. He did have a king-sized bed in his room but that was it, all his clothes lay neatly folded in a box. He also didn’t have much kitchen items but that would change once he went shopping.

Sitting along the beach, Levi sat watching the morning waves roll in and out. Watching as the sun made the water sparkle like a freshly buffed diamond. The sound of the seagulls was a bit annoying but he assumed it was something he’d get used to.

The feeling of peace was something he couldn’t get enough of. Something he craved for so long and yet he didn’t believe he had it. He laid down in the sand after setting his cup down and watched the sky. The dark blue turning light and the yellow of the sun creeping its way over. The way the clouds glided along the sky, slow and tranquil.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Filling his lungs with the salty air. He could never get enough of this, the feeling of serenity.

As he lay there, attempting to let the sound of waves drift him back into sleep, all his peace he found was taken away when a clam fell on his head.

“What the fuck!” He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his forehead. He studied his surroundings noticing no one was nearby. He looked to his left and found the clam and picked it up. He looked around once again trying to see if there was a kid hiding trying to fuck with him, yet there was no one. He then threw the clam back where it must’ve came from.

As he got up to turn to go back into the cottage was he struck again in the back by a clam. He turned quickly to see what was going on and looked down at the clam.

“Ha ha very fucking funny!” He shouted as he went to stomp away. As he started his return he heard the faint sound of splashing coming from the water. Turning back around, he just stood there. Waiting for someone to pop up.

“Fucking bullshit.” He sighed as he began walking towards the ocean, determined to see who was the culprit.

Standing at the edge of the water where the waves washed along his feet, he couldn’t see anything; nothing but water. Staring, he came up with the conclusion that some disgusting birds were dropping their food on him. Sighing, he sat down once again. He didn’t care if his pajama pants got wet, he just wanted to watch the sun rise from the horizon.

That’s when he saw him. A strange man, staring right back at him. Levi had to rub his eyes to fully understand what he was seeing. A little ways away from him was a man in the ocean, looking at him. Levi tilted his head to get a better look and the man tilted his. He could only see the man’s head from the water and he wondered why he was there.

Before he could say anything, the man lifted his arm from the water and chucked a clam at him. Levi dodged it and turned to see the man sink into the water up to his eyes.

“You little shit.. What the fuck do you think you’re doing!” Levi shouted as he stood up.

As he stood the man took his head out of the water again and Levi could see his shoulders shrug. “Let’s see how you like it..”

Levi then grabbed the clam and threw it at the man. However, he wasn’t expecting to see what he saw. As he threw the clam, the man smiled and jumped back to catch it. From doing so, Levi was able to see what appeared to be a tail.

As the being splashed into the water Levi ran back to his cottage. He ran inside and locked the back door. Panting, he peered out of the little windows on the door and the thing, whatever it was, was gone.

He shrunk down onto the floor, leaning against the door.  “What… was that?” He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Maybe it was a guy pranking him. They do make those tail things, maybe the guy was just going for a swim. But, he never saw anyone, he didn’t see him come up for air? He was staring at the water for a while and saw no trace of a person.

Maybe he was hallucinating. Yeah, maybe he just had too many drinks the night before and didn’t remember it and now he was hungover. That couldn’t have happened.

He ran to his bathroom and examined his head in search for any evidence that the clam actually hit him. There were no marks or redness from the impact so maybe he imagined it. He decided to turn around to take a look at his back and was horrified. There on his back was swelling, right where the clam hit him. He wrapped his right arm around his chest to feel the lump on the back of his left shoulder and winced from the slight pain.

He then began splashing cold water onto his face to rid himself of sleepiness or the hangover or whatever was causing him to think this was real. Looking at himself in the mirror he had to remind himself it wasn’t real, this didn’t happen.

To distract himself, he decided to go online and order furniture. Glad he had his internet and cable hooked up, he grabbed his laptop and sat crisscross on his couch.

It was around 3 when he finally picked out everything. Deciding on furniture was hard, having to walk around his place and see where he would put it and if it matched everything else was a complete pain yet worth it. After he choose his furniture he decided to look for kitchen items and that was the worst of all. He hated all the options that specific store had. He either didn’t like their color choices or the style, or both. He finally found the perfect set when he went to a different site and he immediately placed an order. It would be a couple day before everything arrived and he was excited.

He spent the rest of the day longing around watching tv and cooking dinner. It wasn’t much, just some chicken noodle soup. He’d have to go shopping soon. When the sun started to set he debated on whether he should go outside and watch. He loved watching the sun rise and set yet now he was a bit wary. What if that thing was out there? If he saw it again then it would have to be real, and he wouldn’t be crazy. He’d rather be crazy than have a weird mutant fish man living next to his house.

He decided against the idea, he’ll just watch the sun set tomorrow. Laying in his bed, he turned towards the window and watched the rays of colors change. The way the bright orange was swept away by the moon. He laid there, watching the moon rise. He never slept that much anyway and watching the moon helped.

His mind wandered to the man in the water. Somewhere deep down, he kinda hoped he’d seen him again. He didn’t know why and he blamed it on his lack of sleep. He never saw anything like that yet he yearned to know more. If he was real, what else lies beneath the sea. What other unknown creatures have been undiscovered.

* * *

 

Awaking to the sound of an annoying beeping, he slowly turned on his back. The constant ringing in his ear drove him to sit up and stop the alarm.

Laying back down, he fiddled with his phone. Being only 8 in the morning, it gave him enough time to browse Facebook for a couple minutes. Scrolling through the feeds of his long-time friends/acquaintances, he found that he didn’t miss his old home.

He grew up in a small town in France called Lourmarin. It was located in the southwest portion of France. It was a beautiful town. Everyone there were friendly to one another, helping out when needed. Besides the mod of tourists that showed up once in a while, it was relatively peaceful. He could still remember waking up to the smell of pastries that would be served in the family bakery. His mother loved baking, she even taught him some family recipes.

Growing up, he always had a hard time with making friends. No one seemed to like him that much, being the blunt person he always was. He never cared for other people though, he hadn’t had the need to. Coming home from school every day was the best, not because school ended, because he would return home to his best friend.

Levi treasured his mother dearly. She would do everything to make him happy, and he the same for her. She would always bake goodies for him to return home to, and he would always pick her favorite flower, a Lillie, on his way home.

Being just him and her, they did everything together. Nothing changed as he grew up. When he would return home from high school, he would help her in the bakery or go on walks past the vineyards with her. To see her smile meant everything to him.

However, everything changed when her health started to decline. He had only been in nursing school for a couple months when she was diagnosed with leukemia. She would always try her best to put up a front, to fool him into thinking she was okay, yet he never bought it. After he graduated and got his R.N, the doctors told them she would get better. The hospital visits became less frequent and she gained back most of her energy. She even began working at the bakery again so Levi could work towards his B.S.N.

After graduating and landing a job at the local hospital, everything went downhill. He would return home alone, his mother being in the hospital again. He would try and run the bakery on his days off but that wasn’t enough. He told his mother he would quit working at the hospital so he could take care of it but she refused. They ended up selling the bakery shortly after.

A couple weeks later, his mother passed away. He couldn’t bear to do anything. He couldn’t walk the same paths anymore, he couldn’t taste his favorite treats, he couldn’t smell the lilies. He couldn’t be there anymore.

Shaking his head to pull himself away from the memories, he finally decided that he should get ready. He stood up from his bed a peered out his window to the ocean. ‘You would have loved this sight..’ he thought to himself. Turning around, he bent over to open a box filled with photos. Picking up the top one, he saw his mother smiling. He didn’t remember what caused the smile, but it must’ve been because of him.

Setting the picture back down carefully, he looked back at his phone and realized that if he didn’t hurry he would miss his interview. He then rushed to the shower and began to scrub himself, he didn’t have enough time to wait for the water to heat up so a cold shower will do. After about 5 minutes he dashed from the bathroom, stark naked, and looked through his dress cloths. Deciding on a grey suit, white shirt and black tie, he quickly put them on and ran out the front door. Halfway to the road, he had to make a U-turn and run back into the house, “shoes! How could I forget shoes!” Putting on some black dress shoes, he ran to his rental car and finally drove towards the hospital.

* * *

 

Stepping out of the hospital director’s office, he felt good about his interview. It wasn’t as nerve wracking as his first interview back in France but this time he was more confident.

Director Dot Pixis stepped out of his office, locked it, and walked towards Levi.

“You have an impressive resume Mr. Ackerman, you worked very hard from what I can see,” extending his hand, “I will give you a call soon.”

Levi shook the man’s hand and nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

The director gave a heartly laugh, “Sir.. that reminds me of my father. Well Mr. Ackerman, enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You do the same sir.” Smiling, at least trying, back at the man, he turned to walk out the double doors. Walking across the parking lot, he reached his rental and plopped into the seat. Turning on the car and buckling himself in, he looked at the time and found that he wasn’t in there very long. 11:17 am, that means he could go home and take a nap.

Driving to his home, he got there within 15 minutes. He took out his keys and unlocked the front door, he walked inside and placed his shoes by the front door out of habit. Looking out the front window, he thought that napping would be a waste of a good, sunny day. Taking off his clothes, he grabbed a pair of red swim trunks and walked out the back door.

As he walked towards the beach, he marveled at the feel of sand between his feet. The way he sunk with each step. The sun was as bright as ever, without a single cloud in the sky. Looking upon the sea, he wished he could enter it without a single fear. The worst part about living by the beach was not being able to swim. At least he could enjoy sitting at the edge, watching the waves move past him and back.

Turning to his left, he saw for what looked like a little dock. Walking towards it, he found that the little pier was covered by the water. Whoever built this did a horrid job, unless they were going for that idea. It started a little way back in the sand and out a couple feet into the water. The waves were higher than the pier itself, about 3 inches or so.

Walking on the dock, he found that he really loved whoever designed it this way. Because of this, he could walk out into the water without having to swim. He could sit at the edge and look into the crystal-clear waters at the ocean floor. Finally reaching the end, he sat down and peered over the edge. From where he was to the bottom appeared to be about 7 feet. He could see little fish swimming around, some crabs here and there, and a bunch of colorful shells.

Feeling the push and pull of the waves, he let his feet dangle and be carried in the direction the waves wanted to go. Laying back, he let the waves wash over him. He let the peace consume him. Smiling to himself, he wondered what his mother would said to him. Would she laugh, would she join him, or would she take a bunch of pictures. Probably all three. Thinking about her should hurt him, yet somehow, he felt at ease. Almost like she was there with him, enjoying everything with him.

His thoughts were interrupted by something brushing up against his foot. Sitting up, he looked into the water. He saw nothing that could’ve done it, all the little fish were nowhere near him. He figured it was some sort of debris that washed up.

Looking up at the sky, he watched some birds flying around each other. Squawking at each other like they were shouting at each other. It was amusing to him in a way. He imagined a bird stealing another birds fish and they start squaring up to each other.

He laughed at the thought and decided to look down at the water again. What he thought he would see and what he actually saw made him freeze. Right in between his legs, holding onto the pier, was a face.

Screaming, he jumped back and just stared, to shocked to move. The face emerged out of the water and just stared back at him. It was at that moment he realized it was the man-fish-thing from the day before. He scooched back a little, trying not to make the thing angry. Instead, the fish-man just tilted his head.

Being this close to it, he was able to see his features. He didn’t want to admit it, but, the man-fish looked stunning; his hair was a soft chocolate brown that went an inch below his ear, he had some prominent muscles in his arms, and his eyes were the same shade of green as the sea. He thought, for a moment, that they twinkled the same way the ocean did when the light hit it.

Levi didn’t know how long they’ve been staring at each other, but he knew it must have been a while. Finally decided enough was enough, he thought that he could maybe communicate with it.

“Um.. hello?” He watched as the creature looked at him, the way its head moved, it seemed to understand him. After debating about it for a couple seconds, he thought that maybe it didn’t.

He was just about to stand up and run when the creature smiled and waved. Levi couldn’t believe it, the thing WAVED at him. It must’ve known that Levi was in shock because it crossed its arms and laid its head in them on the dock. It was still smiling and it seemed to be waiting for him to say something else.

Levi leaned forward and sat crisscrossed on the dock, looking straight at it. “What are you?” He got his answer when it lifted its tail out of the water.


	2. Worlds collide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about the late update! Between classes, exams, and family coming into town I had little time to write! I'll try to post whenever I can. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Levi couldn’t believe his eyes. Even though proof was right in front of him, he couldn’t comprehend it. Half man half fish. He didn’t know what to think. Should he be scared or fascinated, should he call someone or just let it be.

He’s always been a rational thinker, always picking logic over anything else. Yet, somehow, he couldn’t come up with a logical explanation.

The creature stared at him with fascination. Its smiling face and bright eyes. Levi wanted to be scared yet somehow, he didn’t feel the need to. It didn’t act like it wanted to hurt him and it knew he didn’t want to hurt it.

As they stared at each other, the time flew by. With the sun setting, Levi started to stand when the creatures smile faded. As Levi started his walk down the pier, the creature started to.. scream?

Levi turned back abruptly at the sound. The creature’s upper body was on the pier and it seemed to be in distress.

Unknowing what to do, Levi stepped back a step. As he did, the creature let out another piercing sound. It looked at Levi with pleading eyes, begging him not to go.

“Look. I have things I have to do in the morning so I can’t stay.” Levi said as he crossed his arms.

The creature seemed to understand and looked down. Right as Levi began to walk away again the creature splashed water at him.

Turning around, Levi saw that the creature had a pouty face. It threw its arm down at the pier demanding that Levi stay.

“I can’t stay and throwing a temper tantrum won’t help.” He said as he narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t believe this. The “merperson” was having an attitude with him.

After glaring at each other for a couple minutes, the creature decided that it wasn’t going to win so it sunk back into the water.

Walking back to his cottage, Levi looked at the water. He hoped the creature wasn’t too mad at him. As he turned towards his house he felt sand hit his foot. Looking down he saw a clam mere inches away from his foot. Looking back at the water he saw the creature looking at him with a pout on its face and its arms crossed.

With a deep sigh Levi spoke, “I’ll be out tomorrow ok?”

The creature perked up at his words and a smile grew. It looked like it nodded its head and disappeared in the water.

* * *

 

Levi was woken up the next morning by his phone. He tried to hit the snooze button only to find out it wasn’t an alarm, but a phone call.

Sitting up, he saw that it was an unknown number and answered.

“Hello?” he said groggily.

“Ah good morning Mr. Ackerman! What a fine day it is hmm?”

Realizing who it was, he perked up.

“Oh yes Mr. Pixis. It sure is”

“Haha! Well I just thought I’d call and inform you that you’re on the schedule tomorrow at 8 and I wouldn’t want you to miss it.”

“Oh. Thank you sir-“

“No need to thank me! Your impressive resume and work experience says all! Well I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early for your training. Have a good day.”

“You as well sir.”

After he hung up, he laid back down on his bed. Looking at the time, 8:27, he decided that he should get up.

As he sat up, he looked out his window at the sea, he didn’t see the creature yet but he wouldn’t doubt that it’ll be there later. Shaking his head, he got up and walked towards his bathroom. After taking a quick 15-minute shower and brushing his teeth he walked out and put on some black shorts and a white t-shirt.

He walked out of his room and grabbed his keys, he had quite a lot of shopping to do today; get groceries, some kitchen items like plates and silverware, and look for a car.

Walking out after locking the door, he got in his rental and drove off to his first stop.

* * *

After being out for 5 hours, he walked back into his house with hands full of grocery bags. Making 3 trips from his new used silver Camery, he finally got all his items in the house.

He didn’t buy a lot of groceries, mostly foods he could eat without having to use a stove. He hoped his furniture and everything else would come soon, he was dying for a nice homecooked meal.

As he sat on his little couch, he began scrolling through facebook. At first, he never saw a need for the social app, however, after being away he realized how much he missed home. Seeing his old colleges post pictures or update their statuses made him feel lonely.

As he scrolled through, he saw a message bubble appear. As he read the messages he swore he could hear exactly how she said it.

Hanji: THERE’S MY LITTLE RAVIOLLI!

Hanji: I was hoping you would be on!!!!!!!!

Hanji: We miss you! Hows Hawaii! Oh Erwin says hi<3

Hanji: He told me to tell you that the heart was my idea

Sighing to himself, he debated on whether he should ignore her.

Hanji: I know you read these 0.0

‘I guess ignoring isn’t an option’ he thought.

Levi: Hi Hanji. Hawaii’s good. Tell him I said hi

Hanji: Still a man with little words I see! Oh you should give me your number! I tried your old one but I guess you got a new phone and you should give it to me so I can call you and we can stay up and talk and ohmygosh itll be so fun! :D

Rolling his eyes, he caved in and gave her his new number.

He met Hanji and Erwin while in nursing school. Hanji was one of his classmates and Erwin was a friend of hers who was in Med school. He never understood why they always wanted to hangout with him, being antisocial and all, but they were there for him and even supported him when he wanted to move away. Sometimes he missed Hanji’s crazy shenanigans or Erwin’s bushy brows, he would have to visit them sometime.

After putting her number in his phone, he went to lay his head back. If he was going to work in the morning he probably shouldn’t nap, but resting his eyes shouldn’t hurt.

His rest didn’t last long as he hears the familiar screeching sound outside. Sitting up, he looked out his window and saw nothing but the sea. ‘well, I did say I would be back.’

He sat up and walked towards his bedroom. Putting on his navy-blue swim trunks, he walked out of his house and onto the beach.

He looked around for any sign of the creature but he saw nothing. He decided to wait at the water. Sitting down where the waves can wash up on him, he smiled. He enjoyed sitting in the sand watching the waves roll in and out. Laying back on the sand, he watched birds fly and the wind blow through the trees.

Unknowing of a certain someone watching, he closed his eyes to let the sounds overtake him. It wasn’t until a shadow appeared over him that he opened his eyes. Frozen in place, he looked up to see the creature staring right back down at him. It was leaning over him with both of its arms on each side of his head.

Its nose was an inch away from his and he didn’t dare move. He didn’t want to upset it when it was literally right on top of him. It was looking at him intently, studying his features.

“Um.. Hello?” He decided maybe talking to it will make it go away. He didn’t think it would but it was worth a shot.

He was wrong. Instead it got closer and began sniffing him. It sniffed his hair, his face, and the crook of his neck.

“Yeah can you not do that?” Levi said as he tried to push the creature off of him. After an unsuccessful attempt, he tried to roll away but was halted when the creature laid its head on his chest.

He was surprised at how heavy it was, trying to roll away was not an option now. As he lay there, he tried to look down to see what it was doing. It was looking intensely into the distance as if it was focusing on something.

As he watched it, he saw its mouth moving slightly. He listened closely and heard little clicking sounds. The clicking sounds almost sounded like a heartbeat. “What are you doing?” He asked it.

It looked up at him and made the clicking sounds louder. “You’re.. listening to my heart?” The creature nodded. He leaned his head back and stayed quiet.

After a couple minutes of silence, he heard another sound which reminded him of purring. He wasn’t startled by the sound until he felt the creature vibrating. Looking down again, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, if you count the half man fish thing ordinary.

He tried to sit up but the creature made the screeching sound again and the vibration was abrupt.

“How in the.. get up!” The creature clearly didn’t want Levi to move but with his persistent shoving it finally moved to lay beside him.

Looking at the creature, he found that it didn’t have gills. It looked completely human from the waist up. Curious, he leaned forward and laid his hand on its chest.

“Can you make that noise again?” Upon the request, the creature purred and Levi felt a vibration.

“Can you talk?” The creature then shook his head. “But you understand what I’m saying?” It then nodded.

“So you don’t have vocal cords.. how do you make those noises?” The creature then motioned towards its lungs. He didn’t understand how its lungs make noises but he guessed the creature could vibrate it in a way that makes different sounds.

“Interesting.” He said as he sat back down. It would be much easier to know about the creature more if it could talk but oh well.

“Do you have a name?” He asked. It wouldn’t be able to tell him but he could guess, he didn’t want to refer to it as “it” or “creature” or “man fish.”

The creature nodded and pointed at Levi. “My name is Levi.” The creature then made a sound that sounded like a whistle. “I guess that’s my name huh” the creature nodded and scooted closer.

“So is your name… Henry?” The creature shook its head and opened its mouth.

“Huh?” shaking its head again, it motioned towards its mouth and started to mouth a word. “Kevin?” It then palmed its forehead and fell back. “Well I’m sorry I don’t read lips.” Levi said as he crossed his arms.

Sitting up again, the creature mouthed its name. Levi looked closely at its lips and tried to figure out what it was trying to say. “Karen?” He said as it gave him a ‘really’ face. “Ugh I don’t know.. Aaron?” The creature began nodding its head ecstatically. “Aaron?” The creature moved its hand it a way that looked like it was saying ‘somewhat.’

“So, it’s close to Aaron? Or it sounds like Aaron?” The creature then nodded and opened its mouth again and tried to mouth its name. “Do you know what letters are?” He asked it and it looked at him puzzled.

“Eh ok.” At his words, the creature began shaking Levi’s arm. “What!” Levi took his arm back. “What? Ok? Is that it?” The creature shook its head again. “Eh?” Nodding, the creature mouthed its name.

“Eren?” The creature jumped on him at the sound of his name, knocking them both back into the sand. “Ok ok get off!” Levi protested while Eren put his head in the crook of Levi’s neck and laid there.

With a deep sigh, Levi decided to stay there. Trying to move would be pointless. Especially since Eren was bigger and heavier than him. Looking down, Levi saw Eren’s tail wrapping around his left leg. He never got a chance to actually look at his tail and he wished he had. It was a beautiful mix of blues and greens. Each scale appeared to have a different color. Some were all green or blue while others had a mixture of both.

As Eren shifted slightly, Levi began to wonder how he understands him. “How do you know what I’m saying?” Levi asked him. Eren looked up and motioned towards his ears. “So, you just overheard people talking?” Eren nodded.

“Are you not afraid of humans?” Eren looked down at the question. Levi tried to maneuver his head in a way he could look at Eren but didn’t succeed. “If you are then why are you not afraid of me?”

Eren looked up at Levi and smiled. He rolled off into the sand and pointed to his heart. Levi sat up and looked at where he was pointing. “Wha-oof,“ He was cut off yet again by Eren jumping on him.

They laid on the beach for hours, watching the sun drop slowly. Levi would’ve made conversation but he didn’t know what to talk about and he would only get head gestures from Eren. He didn’t bother dwelling on it because Eren seemed content just lying there in silence. Once the sun began to set Levi tried to pry himself from under Eren but that proved to be difficult. He tried to reason with him, telling him he had to go to work in the morning, but Eren just shook his head and clung to him.

“I’ll come back tomorrow after work.” Levi said as Eren once again shook his head. Once Levi got his body out, Eren clung for dear life onto his arm. When Levi would pull his arm, Eren would scream. “Eren! I can’t stay out here all night!” Levi said as he looked down towards Eren. He regretted the action because Eren looked at him with pleading, tearful eyes.

He didn’t understand his feelings then, how someone or something like Eren could make him regret leaving. He never bothered with people’s feelings before, if he wanted to go he would, but leaving Eren made him feel like someone was punching him in the gut.

Kneeling down, Levi put his hand on one of Eren’s. “I promise I’ll be back tomorrow. Ok?” Eren looked at him and nodded slowly. He then let go of Levi’s arm and sat back in the sand. Levi put his hand on Eren’s head and ruffled his hair, “Don’t worry, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As he walked into his house, he peaked through the window and saw Eren still seated in the sand. He sighed and walked into his room to take a quick shower and go to bed.

As he laid in his bed, he could hear Eren’s sad cries outside. He felt awful for leaving him, he even debated on going back out there. Once the cries stopped, Levi wondered if Eren went back into the ocean. Closing his eyes, his thoughts kept wandering back to Eren.

Levi opened his eyes and tried to focus them. Looking for his clock, he saw that it read 2:48. Wondering why he woke up, he thought about making some tea to help him go back to sleep but his thought was interrupted by something warm pressed up against his back. As he started to panic, he tried to move but was stopped by an arm wrapped around him.

“What the fuck!” He screamed as he wiggled his way out of the embrace and onto the floor. He began backing away before the person fell on top of him.

“Levi!” The person said as he clung tightly around Levi’s neck.

Stunned, Levi blinked and looked down at the person. “Eren?”


	3. Explanation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! I felt bad for the long wait last time so ta-da! Enjoy!

“Hi Levi!”

Levi looked down at the man confused. There, right in front of him, was Eren.

“H-How did this.. how.. what..” Levi had no words. Eren had legs? Yet earlier he didn’t? Plus, Eren was sitting right in front of him naked. Why was he sleeping next to him..naked.

“Yeah you’re probably confused but!” Eren put his hands up “I can explain.”

“Yes please explain because I have no idea what the hell is going on.” Levi maneuvered so he was sitting crisscrossed.

“Well I am a merperson. I bet you know what that is right?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Well~ we merpeople aren’t born in the water. We’re born on land. To change, we have to be out of the water for some time and then we become human. To change back we just step in the water.” Eren smiled.

Levi just looked at him like he grew a second head. “So.. why do you have to have babies on land?”

“Because we can’t give birth in our natural forms. So, we mate and give birth on land.”

“Uh-huh. So why are you in my house?”

“Because I wanted to be.” Levi cocked an eyebrow at his response.

“Well did you think that maybe instead of barging in you could’ve.. oh I don’t know.. knocked!?”

“But if I did would you have let me in?” Eren mimicked Levi and cocked an eyebrow.

“Ya know, I think I liked you better when you just screeched-“ His sentence was interrupted by Eren putting a hand over his mouth.

“Wmhat-“

“You know, I think I liked you better when you weren’t talking.” Eren smiled while Levi glared.

Shoving his hand away, “Look here you little-“

“Levi! Aren’t you happy to see me?” Eren said as sat back on his legs.

“Yeah sure. Just get out.” Levi said as he pointed to the bedroom door.

“Noooo! I wanna stay here with you!” he said as he laid his head on Levi’s knee.

“Well I don’t want you to stay here. Go back to the ocean.”

“But why.. don’t you like me..?” He gave his best pouty face.

Levi brought his hand over his face and sighed. “Fine. But you’re sleeping on the couch.”

“Noooo I wanna sleep with you!”

“No” Levi said as he crossed his arms.

“Yes” Eren mimicked Levi’s movements.

“Eren. No”

“Eren. Yes!” Eren said as he giggled. “Oh by the way, my name is Eh-re-n. Not Eh-r-in.”

“Look Eh-re-n, you can’t just barge into someone’s house like this.”

“But why?” Eren asked.

“Because that’s something humans don’t do.” Levi said matter of factly.

“Why?”

“Because we don’t.”

“Why”

“Eren.”

“Yes!” Eren giggled.

“Ughh. You’re worse than a child!” Levi said as he tried to push Eren off. “Why me anyway.”

Eren rolled off Levi and leaned in, “because I like you.”

“Huh”

“Because I like you. Can you not hear?”

Levi palmed his face again. “No I can hear just-“

“Don’t you like me?”

“Eren! I have to get up in the morning can we finish this conversation later.” Levi said as he tried to stand.

“Wait.. you’re actually leaving again.. why?” Eren said while trying to hold Levi down.

“Because I have to work. That’s why.”

Levi stood up and started to walk towards his dresser hoping to find something to cover up Eren.

“But why?” Eren said as he stood up.

“Because I have to earn money.”

After finding some old sweat pants, Levi tossed them to Eren. “Put those on.”

Eren looked at the pants and put them on, they were on backwards but still on.

“Why not live in the ocean! You can live with me and not work!”

Levi turned to face Eren. “I’m not a merman. That’s not possible.”

After pondering the thought, Eren decided Levi was right. As Levi began to crawl into bed, Eren ran and jumped into his bed and hid under the covers.

“Eren-“

“Pleeaasseee Levi!” Eren said as he tried to give Levi his best puppy dog eyes.

“Fine. But you stay on your side. Got it.”

“Got it!”

Levi then crawled in his bed and faced away from Eren. It wasn’t until he felt Eren right next to him that he sat up.

“Eren! What did I say about your side.”

Eren sat up and pointed to Levi, “That’s your side,” he then pointed to the spot he was on, “and this is my side.”

“No.” Levi pointed at where he was, “This is my side,” he then pointed to the other side of the bed, “That’s your side.”

Eren then countered Levi’s comment. “No Levi.”

“What do you mean no? That’s your side and this is mine.”

“I don’t think so.”

Figuring he wasn’t going to win this argument, Levi laid back down. “Whatever.”

“Yes!” Eren celebrated by throwing his hands in the air.

“How old are you?” Levi asked.

“20. Why?”

“You don’t act like it.”

“How do you know what someone at 20 acts like.”

“Go to bed.”

Levi laid down and Eren snuggled up to him. Levi was too tired to shove him away so he just sighed and tried to fall asleep. “See, you’re so nice when you’re not yelling at me.”

“Eren!”

* * *

Levi dreaded the sound of his alarm. He couldn’t fall asleep the rest of the night and it was all due to Eren. Every time Levi would scoot away Eren would follow. He gave up when he reached the edge of the bed.

Once his alarm went off, he had to deal with Eren freaking out because he didn’t know it was an alarm. He had to rush to get ready because Eren kept hugging him and distracting him. He knew Eren didn’t want him to go but hugging his leg so he wouldn’t go was too much.

Once he got to his car he sighed deeply. At least he could get away for a couple hours. Arriving at the hospital, Levi sighed in relief. Being with Eren only for a couple hours was exhausting. Stepping out, he walked towards the hospitals entrance and was greeted by the Director.

“Good morning Mr. Ackerman!” Pixis greeted him and he walked through the door.

Levi extended his hand to shake his directors, “good morning to you Mr. Pixis.”

“I will show you to the floor where you will be doing your training today.” Pixis then lead Levi to the elevator where they rode it up to the 4th floor.

The next few hours flew by fast, he went through training with the head nurse and got to know some of the other nurses. He realized that this hospital did things differently than his old one but he got accustomed to it quickly.

After his 9-hour shift, he finally stepped threw his door and found Eren sitting on the couch, fumbling with his fingers.

Once he shut the door, Eren noticed he was there and ran towards him. “How was work!” he asked as he smiled.

“It was fine. What did you do while I was gone?”

“I went swimming and then I chased some fish around and then I came back and waited for you. Oh! I brought you some fish! I left them in your cold box thing!”

Eren ran towards the fridge and opened it to reveal several small fish. Levi shook his head slightly and moved towards the couch. He patted the spot next to him and Eren came running to sit down.

Sighing deeply, Levi turned to look at Eren, “We need to talk about this whole.. situation. Isn’t it dangerous for you to be coming up to people or something? Isn’t that why people think your kind is a myth?”

Eren looked down at Levi’s statement, “Well.. it is dangerous. That’s why there are so little of my kind left. My ancestors used to go on land a lot but humans wouldn’t like it and they began to capture us and use us for their awful experiments. They would also blame us for shipwrecks and the disappearance of crew members.”

“Then why did you show yourself to me? And don’t say because you like me.”

Eren moved to face Levi, “I just knew you were different. I was scared at first but you seemed scared too and I was curious. This is my 3rd time being on land and I wanted to get to know you better..”

Levi then ran his hand through his hair, “Why couldn’t you talk before?”

Eren laughed at this, “because we “talk” with our gills. We use vibrations from our gills to make noises. We lose our gills when we change and were able to talk like you do.”

Seeing the confusion on Levi’s face, Eren tried to clarify, “Our gills are in our lungs.”

Levi nodded his head in response. It didn’t make sense to him but this whole situation didn’t make any sense so he dropped it.

“Well I’m going to go take a shower. You might want to take one too if you plan on staying, you reek of fish.” Levi said as he got up. “Will you change when the water hits you?”

Eren nodded. “I guess a bath then.” Levi said as he walked towards his room.

“Can I take one with you?” Eren ran up behind Levi and wrapped his arms around Levi’s neck. “No.”

“Aw why?”

“Because I said so. And stop saying why.” Levi unhooked himself from Eren and grabbed some sweatpants and an old grey t-shirt.

“Please?” Eren held onto Levi’s arm while Levi tried to walk into his bathroom.

“Why do you want to be near me all the time?” Levi asked as he turned to look at Eren.

“I like you.” Eren smiled.

Confused, Levi asked “What do you mean by like?”

Eren let go of Levi’s arm and looked to be in deep thought. After pondering his question, Eren replied, “Um. Well I like being around you. Seeing you makes my tummy feel funny and I feel happy around you.”

Levi had no idea how to respond to that. Unknowing of what he should say, Levi just replied, “um.. ok. I’m going to take a shower and you’re going to sit right there until I come back. Ok?”

Eren frowned but nodded. “Good.”

As Levi started up the shower, he thought about what Eren said. He didn’t know if that was a confession or him not knowing the proper words to say ‘I like you as a friend.’ Levi’s never been in a relationship before and if someone did confess to him he wouldn’t know if it was a confession or them just being nice. He remembered an instance back in high school when a girl wrote him a letter saying how she liked him but he just blew it off thinking she just wanted to be friends. He didn’t know how to handle something like that so he did what he did best and ignored her.

Letting the water run down his body, his thoughts shifted back to Eren. Did he like him? If he didn’t why would he let him stay? Why would someone like Eren like him anyway? Sure he wasn’t unattractive, but he didn’t think he was special enough for someone like Eren. He wasn’t going to lie to himself, Eren was attractive. With his soft chocolate hair or big green eyes.

His thoughts were interrupted by a certain someone peaking through his shower curtains.

“Do you have a hard time listening?” Levi said as he shut the curtains.

“Did you know you have a nice butt?”

Blushing furiously, Levi turned off the water and grabbed his clothes from the sink. “Get out!”

Eren left the bathroom and Levi jumped out to shut the door. He could hear Eren shuffling around right outside and he quickly put on his clothes and opened the door.

“Go take a bath.” Levi pointed at the bathtub.

“How do I do that?” Eren asked as he walked into the bathroom.

Levi sighed and went to turn on the water, “Do you want it hot or cold?”

“The water can be hot! Can I have that!” Eren said as he started to strip off his pants.

Levi covered his eyes and motioned for Eren to get in. Eren looked at him confused and asked, “Why do you cover your eyes? Do you know like how I look?”

Levi could feel the blush spread across his face again, “No I’m giving you your privacy.”

Eren stepped into the tub and his tail came back. “Oh I like this hot water! It feels good!”

“Yeah..” Levi said as he stepped out. He walked towards his bed and flopped down. He left France to relax a little and ended up with a merman in his bathtub. ‘Someone should write a story about this’ he thought.

“Levi! Can you help me!” Hearing Eren, Levi jumped up and ran into the bathroom. He saw Eren struggling to get out of the tub and there was water all over the floor. He walked over to Eren and grabbed him under his arms and pulled him out the rest of the way. “You’re really fucking heavy you know.” He said and he sat him on the bedroom floor.

“Sorry about that.” Eren said and he laughed.

Looking down at Eren, he realized he hadn’t eaten anything all day. “Are you hungry?”

Eren looked up and nodded. As Levi began to walk towards the kitchen he stopped and thought to himself ‘what do merpeople eat?’

“Um-“

“I can eat anything.” Eren interrupted.

Levi nodded again and asked, “how about a grilled cheese?”

Eren perked up a little. He didn’t know what it was but he wanted it. “Yes!”

Levi nodded and walked into the kitchen to prepare the grilled cheeses.

After the food was done, Levi called for Eren and Eren ran out naked. “Ok we really need to get you some clothes.” Levi said as he ran back into his room to fetch some shorts.

Eren sat on the couch after he put on the shorts and Levi handed him his plate. Eren looked at the grilled cheese with hesitated and looked over at Levi who already took a bite out of his.

Sucking in a deep breath, Eren bite into the grilled cheese and his eyes widened at the taste. “This is sooo good!” He said after swallowing.

They ate their meal in silence with little hums of approval from Eren here and there. After they were finished and Levi washed the dishes, he and Eren sat on the couch to watch some tv. Eren tried to lay on Levi here and there but Levi would just shove him away.

“Levi?”

Levi hummed. “Do you want me to leave?”

Levi turned to looked at Eren, “huh?”

Eren looked down and fiddled with his thumbs, “don’t you like me..?”

Levi his hand under Eren’s chin and turned him so he was looking at him, “Yes Eren I like you, no I don’t want you to leave. Happy?”

Eren smiled wide and jumped on Levi, “So you really do like me!”

Levi tried to pry himself away from the larger male but failed. Instead, he chose to sit there while Eren snuggled up to his side. ‘This is going to be a long night.’


	4. Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I sound like a broken record since I say this every time but I swear i'll update when I should someday!

Just as Levi predicted, the night was long. Around 2 in the morning, the moon was covered by dark clouds. Levi watched as the clouds covered the skies, he was unable to sleep with the moving male on top of him. Every so often, Levi would close his eyes only to be waken up by Eren shifting his position.

Levi was used to not getting sleep but this was ridiculous. He contemplated shoving Eren off but he was buried in between Eren and the back of the couch. Levi even tried to slip away but was halted when Eren would tighten his grip around him.

Eren finally seemed to be settled in his position and Levi closed his eyes. He was amazed that Eren didn’t shift again and he got, what he assumed, an hour of sleep.

The sudden screaming was what awoke him. He opened his eyes to see Eren covering his ears. He didn’t understand what caused Eren to freak out until he saw the bright flash from outside. Turning quickly, Levi looked outside and saw a downpour. He heard the wind violently hitting the cottage and causing bits of tree branches to hit the windows.

The sudden sound of thunder caused Eren to scream out again. Levi held onto Eren tightly, tying to calm him down but it seemed to make it worse. Every time Levi would shush him Eren would whimper.

“Eren shh it’s ok, it’s just thunder.” Levi said as he rubbed Eren’s back. Eren seemed to calm down slightly until another wave of thunder shook the cottage.

“Levi! Make it stop!” Eren shouted. Levi held him close while the storm continued, he could feel Eren’s tears on his shoulder and he didn’t know what to do.

Sighing softly, Levi maneuvered his way out of Eren’s grip. Eren protested by grabbing onto his shirt but Levi just shushed him. He then put one arm under Eren’s shoulders while the other went under his knees.

“L-Levi..” Eren said as he sniffled. Levi shushed him again and picked Eren up bridal style, walked towards the bedroom.

A crash of thunder roared again yet Eren didn’t make a sound, he just sat there in Levi’s arms until Levi put him down onto the bed. Levi walked towards the closet and grabbed more blankets and threw them onto the bed.

“I don’t have anymore pillows but I have these.” Eren was confused by Levi’s statement until Levi started covering him in all the blankets, wrapping him up in his own little cocoon.

Levi then proceeded to his pillows around his head, he assumed the 3 pillows were enough. Eren laughed at his position and tried to wiggle out but failed, he was wrapped up too tight to escape.

Once Levi was done he laid down next to his creation and closed his eyes. Eren looked at Levi and tried to snuggle closer but his attempt failed again. “Do you really have to be so difficult. Just lay still and go to sleep.” Eren heard Levi say, “But.. I wanna be next to you..” Eren whispered. Levi sighed and replied, “You are next to me.”

Eren groaned at the distance and tried again to scooch over, Levi noticed his struggling and moved over so they were touching and Eren sighed in content. The storm continued and Levi noticed how Eren fell asleep. He sighed and got up, he wouldn’t be able to sleep now so he might as well clean something to pass the time. 

After a few hours went by, Levi cleaned the whole cottage till it was sparkling. Eren still hasn’t got up so Levi went to check his emails. As he opened his email, he saw that he had an email for his delivery. “Fucking finally.” He cursed as he saw that they were coming sometime this week.

“Levi..” Levi looked up to see Eren walking into the room rubbing his eyes. “good morning.” Levi greeted as he looked at his computer. “Whatcha doin?” Eren asked as he walked behind him, attempting to see what was on the screen. “checking some things.” Levi answered.

Eren nodded and looked out the window, he lost interest in what Levi was looking at since he couldn’t read. He looked out at the sky and noticed how there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. “Levi! Let’s go swimming!” Eren shouted.

Levi groaned at his comment and turned to look at him, “you go. I have some shopping I have to do.”

Eren turned his attention back to Levi and gave him a questioning look, “shopping? Can I go!”

Levi sighed and shook his head. “Aw why not! I promise to be good!” Eren said as he leaned over Levi, “fine, only if you promise to listen to me. got that?” Levi said as he tried to push Eren off. “Ok!”

Levi looked Eren over once before sighing for the millionth time, “We’ll have to find you something to wear.” Levi then got up and walked towards his bedroom to find something for Eren.

After finding some old grey shorts and a black shirt, Levi handed them to Eren to go change. “Hurry up and change so we can go.” Eren nodded and began to strip off his sweatpants. Levi turned to go put on some presentable clothes himself which consisted of black jeans and a red shirt.

“You read- Eren..” Levi said as he rubbed his forehead. Eren had his shorts on backwards and he was trying to put his head into the arm hole. Levi Walked over and helped him put his shirt on right and told him to turn his shorts around.

After helping Eren, they both walked out to Levi’s car. Eren walked cautiously around the machine and clung to Levi. “Levi?”

“It’s a car, you have to get in so we can go.” Levi said as he opened the passenger side door for Eren. Eren nodded and sat in the seat while Levi shut the door. Once Levi shut the door Eren began banging on the window, “Levi! Don’t leave me!”

Levi opened the driver side door and looked at Eren, “Really Eren.”

* * *

The ride to the supermarket was hectic for Levi, trying to get Eren to stay in his seat was tiring. Eren didn’t want to wear his seat belt and kept trying to take it off when Levi wasn’t looking, he also kept trying to stick his head out of the window. He figured out how that he could press the button so Levi couldn’t put the window up which had Levi trying to pull him back into the car.

Once they arrived Eren ran out of the car and looked at the building, “what are we shopping for?” He asked as Levi locked the car. “Food.” Levi responded as Eren beamed for the entrance, “Eren! Stay with me!” Levi shouted as he ran after him.

Eren entered the store wide-eyed, “woah..” Levi caught up to him and grabbed the back of his shirt, “Eren.” Eren turned around and laughed, “Sorry, I’ll stay with you.”

As they walked down the aisle, Levi watched as Eren ran from one side to the other. As he went to pick something up he would return to random items being put into the cart, “Eren, you don’t need these.” Levi said as he put a box of tampons back. “Aw but why!” Eren asked as he went to pick them back up. Levi intercepted him and stared at him intently, “Eren, no.” Eren huffed as he walked down the aisle.

Levi turned to walk down the next aisle when he saw Eren looking at condoms. “Eren what are you doing.” Levi asked as he sighed. Eren turned his attention to Levi and asked, “are these edible?”

Levi turned towards the razors and grabbed one before answering, “no.” As he turned back he saw that Eren put toothpaste, condoms, and a pregnancy test into the cart. “Eren why do you need those.” Eren shrugged as he picked up a bottle of lube.

“Eren these don’t belong in the cart, well the toothpaste yes but the rest no.” Levi said as he put the condoms and pregnancy test back. “But you’ll never know when you’ll need this stuff!” Eren whined as he threw in the lube. “Eren do you even know what these are?” Levi asked. Eren thought about his answer, scrunching his nose while scratching his head, “sweet stuff?” Levi shook his head. “Sweet stuff?” Levi asked as he crossed his arms. “I opened the stuff and it smelled sweet!” Eren responded as he smiled.

“Eren no.” Levi said as he went to grabbed the items, “Please Levi!” Eren whined as he gave Levi a pouty face. Levi sighed and left the items, Eren cheered and grabbed the pregnancy test. “Eren you defiantly don’t need that. Put it back.” Eren frowned and asked why.

“Eren. That is for finding out if a woman is going to have a baby.” Levi deadpanned. Eren turned to look at the item and put it back. “Oh..” he whispered.

Stepping up the to checkout counter, Levi began unloading all of the items onto the counter. Eren watched as the items ‘magically’ moved towards the cashier, making the cashier giggle. “How are you two doing today?” the cashier asked, “Fine. How are you?” Levi asked as he walked up to the card machine.

The cashier giggled again and replied, “I’m doing wonderful sir.” Levi was confused as to why the girl was laughing until he turned and saw her ringing up the 5 bottles of lube Eren put into the cart. Sighing, Levi turned to see Eren leaning up against the counter watching the girl scan the items.

“How are you today sir?” The girl asked Eren. Eren looked up and smiled, “I am great! I went shopping with Levi today!” the girl giggled again and nodded. “You must really like him huh?” The girl asked while eyeing Levi. Eren nodded and replied, “Oh yes I like Levi a lot!” Levi palmed his head and paid for the items.

“I’m Eren!” Eren said to the girl as he stuck out his hand. The girl reached out and shook his hand, “I’m Historia.”

“Eren!” Levi shouted as he walked towards the exit. “Coming,” Eren shouted back, “It was nice to meet you!” Eren said as he ran towards Levi. Historia waved and smiled.

* * *

Levi flopped onto his bed with a sigh. After putting all the items away and trying to get Eren to stop trying to eat everything wore him out.

“Levi?” Eren called out from the living room. “You want to go swimming!” Eren asked. He heard Levi groaning and ran into the bedroom. “Please!”

“Why don’t you go swimming while I nap.” Levi suggested. Eren pouted and laid down on top of Levi, “please Levi..”

“Fine.” Eren cheered and ran into the living room. Levi sat up and walked over to his dresser to get his swimming trunks. “You sure have a lot of swimming pants.” He heard Eren say from the doorway. Levi hummed and walked into the bathroom to change into some dark blue trunks.

Once he got out, he noticed Eren already left. Walking out the door, he couldn’t see Eren yet he already knew where he was. The sun was setting by this time and Levi stood there admiring all the colors. The sky held reds, purples, oranges, and yellows, painting the perfect picture.

Levi walked down to the little dock, kicking sand as he went. Water brushed past his feet and he saw countless shells being washed up and away. He smiled to himself as he stepped onto the dock. He wanted to swim yet that was impossible. Impossible wasn’t the correct term for such a thing, he could learn yet his fear kept him from it.

He sat at the edge of the dock and watched the sun set. He watched the waves roll over him and thanked whoever designed this dock. He loved the way the water came up to his abdomen, he could sit there in the water without having to actually be in it.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt familiar hands on his calves. He looked down and saw Eren staring back at him with a big goofy smile plastered on his face. Levi sighed and gently kicked his legs back and forth, he saw Eren laugh and watch his legs move.

Eren quickly swam away only to return with a shell. He brought it out of the water for Levi to have, “Pretty.” Levi said in his monotoned voice. Eren smiled and swam off to get more. Soon after, Levi had a bunch of shells in his arms. Eren came back with another one while Levi was gently placing them behind him. He hoped the waves would carry them away but by the way they moved he doubted they would stay.

As soon as Levi turned around he was face o face with a fish. “Eren, no I don’t want one thank you.” He said as he pushed the fish away from his face. Eren tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders, swallowing the fish whole. Levi scrunched up his face and said, “disgusting.”

As he sat there watching Eren swim around, he felt somewhat jealous of him. Being able to swim freely, not have any responsibilities. He was everything Levi wished for, free without a care in the world.

Eren noticed Levi staring and swam up to him, pulling himself up so he was face to face with Levi.

Levi stared at Eren, watching as he stared right back. Eren made a high pitch sound while his face looked concerned. Levi’s face fell at the sound and Eren brought his forehead to rest on Levi’s.

Levi guessed it was Eren’s way of asking if he was ok and Levi smiled. “I envy you, Eren.” Levi said as he brought a hand up to Eren’s cheek. Eren smiled as he rubbed his thumb over his cheek, purring at the contact. Eren was the definition of freedom, and Levi wanted it. He wanted to be able to live freely like Eren, not caring about the struggles of life. He wanted to forget everything and swim for as long as he could, yet that would never happen. He was bound to the land in chains, never to be set free. He envied Eren's freedom to choose between the land and sea. He wished he had a choice, for he wouldn't choose this hell hole.  

Levi chuckled when Eren got tired of his hand and moved to rub his face over Levi’s. “Ok ok Eren.” Levi said as he tried to push Eren a way. Eren stopped and just looked at Levi. Before Levi could say anything Eren jumped slightly and dove back into the water. He held his hands up, trying to get Levi to stay, and Levi just nodded. Eren smiled and swam away.

Levi noticed how much time passed, the sun set and the moon began its ascend into the sky. He couldn’t see Eren swim away because of the oncoming darkness yet he didn’t seem afraid. He knew Eren was out there, he knew he would be safe.

He felt hands touch his legs again and he moved them slightly. The hands disappeared and Levi chuckled. He felt them on him again but they had a good grip this time. “Eren?” Levi said as he stared into the water.

He saw the hands grabbing onto him yet the head didn’t look the same, instead of brown, short hair he saw long black hair. “Eren..?” He whispered. The head moved and he saw a face that he didn’t recognize, he panicked and tried to move but the being held onto him tightly.

“EREN!” He screamed as he was dragged into the water, darkness overtaking him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I asked this in my other fic 'In the mood' and i know some of you prob don't read it so i wanted to ask it here too! What is your favorite AU? I personally enjoy mermaid AU's cause they're just so fluffy and UGH! I would love to know what your favorites are!


	5. Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the wait! I've been so busy with school that I haven't had the time or motivation to write. I will try to write as much as I can. Also if there are any mistakes just let me know, I took a break from studying and wrote this chapter so there might be some mistakes :/ again I apologize for the long wait!

He couldn’t move. He tried and tried yet his body wouldn’t listen. He couldn’t open his eyes or scream for help. He could only see darkness. On top of that, there was this loud beeping sound that would not go away. Why was this happening? What was happening? He didn’t understand.

 “Shit!” Levi cursed as he felt a sudden prick on his arm. Finally opening his eyes, he turned his head to find the source of his discomfort when he saw Petra.

“L-Levi! You’re awake! Oh thank goodness!” Petra smiled as she readjusted his IV. Levi looked around the room he was in and saw that he was in a hospital room. “Petra?” He said as he turned his head back towards her, “What am I doing here?”

Petra finished fixing the drip and sat on the bed. “How are you feeling first?” Levi looked puzzled at first and then sighed. “I feel ok, my head feels like shit though. How did I get here? What happened?”

Petra nodded and began to get up when Levi grabbed her hand, “wait, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Petra sighed ad replied, “I told them that once you woke up they can talk to you. I’ll explain everything else once they’re done.”

“Wait what?” he said as she walked out.

Levi looked around the room and sighed, he didn’t mind them when he was the one taking care of someone, not being taken care of. He tried to remember what happened, but he couldn’t. Everything that had happened within the last couple days was a blur.

He went to grab the remote for the tv when a woman walked in. As she walked in, his instincts told him not to trust her. The woman had on a black suit and sunglasses, her hair short and white. She sat down in the visitor’s chair and nodded to the man in a similar attire and he closed the door.

“Hello Levi.” she said as she took her glasses off and replaced them with normal glasses. “Who are you.”

The woman chuckled, “Rico.” Levi nodded and went to turn on the tv when she spoke again, “We have some important things to discuss so I’ll need all of your attention.”

Levi sighed and turned towards her. “What do you want.”

Rico smiled and leaned towards him with her head on her hands, “I want you to tell me about that man.”

“What are you talking about?” He really didn’t know. Was she asking about his boss? Coworkers? Did Erwin fuck up somehow?

Rico stood up and walked over to Levi’s charts. “Hey! You’re not authorized to look at those!” Levi said as she skimmed through the papers. “A mild concussion huh? What was the last thing you remember doing? Do you know what caused this little accident?”

Levi glared at her, “I don’t know.” She sat the papers down and sat back in her spot. “I see. Well if you end up remembering something, even a small detail, let me know.” Rico said as she handed him a card with a number. “Who do you work for?” he asked as she switched out her glasses.

“I’m not authorized to tell you.”

* * *

“A mild concussion?” Levi said as Petra nodded. “How did I get here?”

“A young man brought you in, said you needed help. After we admitted you he left.” She said as she started to eat her salad.

Once Rico left the doctor finally came in, hearing that he was asleep for 4 days came as a shock but after trying to get up and walk his body felt stiff as a board, so he believed it. Petra came in soon after and brought him dinner, she checked in as a guest since her shift was over.

“What guy?” Levi asked as he dug into his spaghetti. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until she sat the food in front of him. “He wouldn’t tell us his name.. he was a sweet boy though!” She said as she giggled.

“What did he look like?”

“Hmmm…” she hummed as she drank her sprite, “He had blue eyes, small frame, I was surprised he could carry you, and blond hair.”

He tried to think of who it could be, but no one came to mind. “Nile said you could be released today if you feel up to it,” Petra claimed, “but you can stay another night if you feel that you need to.”

Levi sighed and put his fork down, “I want to leave. When’s the earliest I can get out of here?” Petra finished chewing and hummed, “well I guess after he comes back in and lets you know about your test results.”

He furrowed his brow at her comment, “What tests?”

Petra giggled again and responded, “Just some blood tests, to make sure everything is okay. Someone should be in soon to check your vitals and after that you should be all set.” Levi nodded and began eating again.

After all his tests came back normal, Petra helped Levi out of the hospital. “Levi? Do you need me to drive you home?” She asked as she noticed he was a bit wobbly. “I’ll be fine.” He responded while looking at the parking lot.

“Levi, your car isn’t here.” She said as he sighed, “come on, my car’s over here.”

As they drove to his house, he couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something. Something just didn’t feel right. He was going home yet he felt like something would be waiting for him when he got there. He didn’t own a pet? Or at least from what he remembers he doesn’t.

Another question that was on his mind was who was the boy that brought him here? The only blond he knew closely was Erwin and he’s defiantly not around. Maybe he passed out outside and someone who was passing by saw him and took him to the hospital. That was the only logical thing he could think of.

After they pulled into the driveway, Levi said his thanks and went to open the front door. He waved to Petra as she pulled away and went to unlick the door when he realized the door was unlocked. Hesitantly, he opened the door and looked around.

The first thing that caught his eye was his furniture. It was all the new stuff he ordered. He walked into the room and saw that everything was set up. He ran back outside to notice his old stuff wasn’t there.

“What the hell?” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Nothing made sense. The guys said that someone would have to be here for them to deliver the stuff, but Levi has no recollection of being here.

Then it hit him. That feeling of forgetting something. He stood up and walked outside towards the beach, searching around for someone or something.

As he stared at the ocean, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Seeing the gentle waves rolling in and out reminded him that he was out there, but he wasn’t alone.

He felt alone now, he didn’t know why. He’s been alone the whole time he’s been here, granted it hasn’t been very long, but it was different. He had someone but now they’re gone.

He shook his head, he couldn’t believe he was thinking like that. It must be a side effect of the meds he was given before he left. He turned around to walk back into the house, ignoring the need to stay and watch the sun set into the sea.

As he made his way into the house he made sure to lock all the doors and windows, he wasn’t sure what happened but better safe than sorry. Looking around the newly furbished room, he nodded to himself for his taste in furniture.

He made his way into his kitchen area and noticed all his new appliances and cookware were in their correct spots. He decided to check the closets and other rooms to make sure no one was hiding, starting with the kitchen. He opened his pantry, no one decided to jump out and scare the shit out of him thankfully.

Walking into his room, he checked under the bed and his closet. What really shocked him was all the bottles of lube in his desk drawer. He had no idea where this all came from and he knew he didn’t really need this much.

Laying down onto his new bed, exhaustion hitting him like a brick wall. He closed his eyes, too tired to worry about everything. He’ll just think about it tomorrow.

* * *

2:34 am. Grabbing the closest thing he could get his hands on, which ended up being a lamp, he walked towards the banging sound. Who would be out here in the middle of the night banging on his door.

He approached the door cautiously, he could the creaking of the floor boards underneath him.

As he reached for the door knob, he heard a small voice calling out to him.

“Levi, I need to talk to you! Please let me in..” The small voice sounded scared. He knew he shouldn’t trust it but something told him that he should.

Opening the door slowly, he peaked through and saw a small boy with blond hair, he was shivering which was odd because it wasn’t cold out.

“Who are you?” Levi asked, “Please I’ll explain everything..” the boy responded.

Looking at the boy, Levi remembered what Petra told him, how a young man with blond hair brought him to the hospital a couple days ago. “Were you the guy that helped me?” He asked him.

The boy nodded, and Levi sighed. “Alright. But don’t try anything stupid.”

Levi opened the door all the way and ushered the boy in. Sitting on the couch, Levi noticed how the boy looked incredibly nervous. He wasn’t shaking from the cold, he was shaking because he was scared of something. “Are you alright?”

The boy sighed and turned towards Levi, “I don’t have long to talk and..um.. I don’t know where to start..”

“How about you start with your name. Who are you?” The boy nodded and replied, “I’m Armin.”

“Alright, so how do you know me?” The boy looked surprised at first but shifted his gaze to his uncovered feet. “Um.. a friend..”

“What the hell happened to me? Why can’t I remember what happened? Do your parents know you came here?” Levi asked somewhat annoyed. The conversation wasn’t going at the pace he wanted it to so maybe this will speed things up.

“Well.. you hit your head on the dock and fell into the water. I got you out and took you to the place with the red cross on it. After that… some people came by your house and said I needed to stay so they can put stuff in it..”

So that’s how the guys got all his furniture in and out. “Well thanks for that, but what about your parents?”

Armin looked up and shook his head, “I don’t have any parents.”

Before Levi could respond, Armin began to speak, “Do you remember the man that stayed with you?”

Confused, Levi shook his head, “What man?” Armin’s eyes widened, “Does the name Eren sound familiar?”

When Armin said that name, the pain in his chest came back. The name did sound familiar, but he couldn’t think of who it was.

Then he remembered the sea, there was someone in the sea. Not a someone but a something? He could see these bright green eyes looking back at him. Why can’t he remember?

“I can’t stay any longer, I have to go.” Armin said as he got up and rushed towards the door. “Wait! Hold on. Who’s Eren?”

As he followed Armin out, he saw that he was running straight into the ocean. “Hey! What are you-“ before he could finish he fell to the ground. Right before his eyes, the boy jumped into the water and disappeared.

~

The days passed, he remembered little by little. He remembered sharing his home with a stranger, how he met him, and what happened that night. The only thing he couldn’t remember was a face.

He couldn’t put a face to the name. the only thing he could think of was those eyes. Those beautiful green eyes that resembled the sea.

Sitting in the sand, he waited. He wanted to see him again. Unsure if he ever would, he would sit out there for hours counting how many birds would fly by or how many crabs he saw. Waiting seemed like the only thing he could do.

Armin didn’t come back, he assumed he was another merperson and something was keeping them from coming up to the land. What was he so scared of? Sharks? He really doubted that one but he wouldn’t know.

Thinking back to the day he woke up, that lady he spoke to seemed to know what they were, assuming she was talking about that. He threw away her card after he started to remember about the creatures. As if he would tell anyone about it, it was a secret that wasn’t his to share.

Laying back onto the warm sand, he stared up at the orange- purple sky for what seemed like the millionth time. He would never get tired of the view, yet he wished a certain someone was there to share it with him.

Levi never thought that being alone would be so hard. The late nights where he would stay up looking at the ocean, unable to drift into sleep. He realized he didn’t like being alone. He enjoyed talking to someone; talking to him.

Hearing his phone go off, he noticed it was Hanji calling him. As he clicked the green button he immediately regretted answering her call.

“LEEVVIII!” She screamed over the phone.

“What do you want.” He didn’t feel like talking, he just wanted to enjoy the peace before nightfall came, before the loneliness came.

“I just wanted to remind you that Erwin and I are coming to visit next weekend! Aren’t you excited! We haven’t seen you in forever! We should go bar hopping!”

He rolled his eyes, “I don’t think there are enough bars around here to hop around.”

“Well I guess you better stock up! But more importantly, why haven’t you called us!”

“I’ve been busy. Sorry I got to go, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Oh alrig-“ he hung up. Bringing his arm down, he continued to stare at the sky. Listening to the waves could easily put him to sleep, which wasn’t such a bad idea.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the sounds that came to him. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees, seagulls walking around searching for food, crabs burrowing into the sand, something being dragged across the sand?

Siting up quickly, he turned his head towards the sound when he saw him. Eren was a couple feet away from him, dragging himself up the beach.

“Eren!” he screamed as he got up to run towards him. Eren smiled wide as Levi came and hugged him.

“Where have you been?” Levi asked as he hugged him, the only sounds he got were those weird squawking sounds but he didn’t care. Eren was here now, he wasn’t injured or sick, he is okay.

From his lack of balance on one knee, he fell backwards. Eren crawled up onto his chest like he used to do. Laying in the sand, Levi ran his hands through Eren’s silky hair. He could feel Eren’s breathing becoming uneven, so he tilted his head to see what the problem was. Feeling him move, Eren looked up at him and Levi’s eyes widened. Eren was crying.


	6. Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soo sorry about posting so late. I've had so much going on in my life that it's been hard finding the time and motivation to continue writing. I will try to post more regularly but school is getting tougher and I just don't have the time like I used to, between classes and clinical's I barely have time to think what to write next. I promise that I will continue this story though!

It’s driving him crazy. How the hell is he supposed to help if Eren won’t say anything? For the past hour Eren has been sitting outside staring at the water with a sad look on his face. He wont even get out enough to change so he can talk.

When Levi first saw him, he looked utterly miserable. He wouldn’t stop crying or let Levi help him to the house. He tried everything to get him to come but all he would do is shake his head and bury his face in the sand.

BUT! Levi has a plan. A brilliant plan it is. The best and only plan he could think of to get Eren to snap out of whatever funk he’s in and get him to the house.

Grilled cheese.

Eren’s favorite dish, perfectly golden with the cheese melted just right. Adding to it will be fresh (he thinks) cut tomatoes and a little pickle on the side. If this cant get him to talk then nothing will.

After getting his perfect meal arranged in the most delicious way possible, Levi walked out of his house and towards the waters edge.

Eren still sat in the same spot with his arms crossed over where his knees would’ve been, sniffling and wiping his face free from tears.

“Eren? I got something for you.” Levi tried to get his attention but failed. He didn’t even spare a glance.  

Levi did his signature “tsk” sound and sat down in the sand next to Eren. He could see him staring at the masterpiece from the corner of his eye, but he made no attempt of going for it or acting like he wanted it. “I know your hungry. You’re always hungry.” Levi said as he lightly bumped his shoulder with his own.

“Fine. If you don’t want it then I guess I’ll have to eat it.” Levi picked up the pickle and took a bite out of it. “MMM, soooo good.”

When he looked over at Eren he almost wanted to laugh. Eren looked offended that Levi would even THINK to eat HIS pickle.

“Oh. So you DO want it.” Eren nodded his head. “Well if you want it you’ll have to come inside and eat it.” Levi got up and started towards the house when he heard squeaking noises. “You better hurry or it’ll get cold!” He shouted over his shoulder, paying no mind to Eren’s pouty faces.

After putting the meal in the microwave, Levi sat down some sweat pants and a t shirt for Eren when he was ready to come inside.

As he went to sit down at the table, he couldn’t ignore the weird feeling he was getting. He knew something wasn’t right, he didn’t know if it involved Eren or if he was just overreacting to something, whatever it is.

Eren seemed so distraught earlier, was it because he was in the hospital and away for a couple days? Or was there something really wrong? Well, he’d find out once Eren came in.

He opened his laptop to browse facebook when Eren walked in. He didn’t turn his head towards him so he could give him privacy while he put on some clothes. “Food is in the microwave, the thing above the stove.” Levi instructed him.

Eren walked over and grabbed his food and sat down in front of the stove to eat. “Eren? You can sit at the table you know?” Eren shook his head and continued eating.

Standing up suddenly, Levi walked towards Eren and sat down in front of him.

“Alright brat. What the fuck is up with you. You’re acting all weird, well weirder than usual and that’s not sitting well with me so talk or get the fuck out cause I’m not in the mood to deal with this shit.”  

Eren stared at him and put his sandwich down. “Do we have to talk now..?” Levi sighed and got up. “Yes were gonna talk now so get the fuck up and sit in a chair or something. I’m not going to sit on the floor all night.”

Eren noddle and got up to follow Levi to the couch. What really unnerved Levi was the fact that he left his food on the counter, half eaten.

Eren let out a shaky breath before starting. “I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean for that to happen..”

“Huh?” Levi looked at him confused. “What happened?”

Eren looked at him with tears in his eyes before continuing. “That night that you got hurt.. it was my fault.. I didn’t know they were there and she got mad and hurt you and I couldn’t stop it..” Tears began flowing down his cheeks, “I panicked and I didn’t know what to do..”

Levi looked at him like he grew a second head. “What are you talking about? You didn’t know who was where?”

“The night you got hurt.. I didn’t know my sister Mikasa or my best friend Armin were around. They were looking for me and when she saw you she thought you were gonna hurt me so she pulled you down into the water.. when I turned around I panicked and tried to get her off but she held me down. Armin pulled you out and waited with you until he changed to get you to help while I was with Mikasa.. she was angry but I calmed her down enough, I had to go with her but I came back as soon as I could.. I’m really sorry Levi..”

By the end of his story, Eren couldn’t stop crying or hiccupping. “Shh Eren it’s ok, I’m ok.”

Eren couldn’t stop crying after that. Levi tried to comfort him the best he knew how (which involved rubbing his arm awkwardly) but that didn’t work. “Look Eren, I’m fine. Really. I promise.” Eren sniffled again and avoided eye contact.

Levi sighed deeply, “Would it make you feel better if I let you sleep in my bed?” Eren looked up at him with wide eye, “really?”

As soon as Levi nodded his head Eren jumped up from the couch and ran towards the bedroom. “Only for tonight!” Levi yelled as he followed him. “And I mean it! Just for tonight!”

Eren jumped into the bed and moved over towards the window side, smiling like a 5 year old. Levi sat down on his side and looked over to see Eren burying himself in the blankets and curling up like a cat.

“Stay over-“ he didn’t even finish when Eren moved to snuggle up to him. Sighing, Levi just let him lay there. “Goodnight Eren.”

“Goodnight Levi.”

* * *

“I swear to god if you get water everywhere-“ Levi tried to say before Eren literally jumped into the bath.

Eren was splashing the water around as he twists and turned, making this weird sound that Levi assumed was him laughing. “Eren!” He said as he removed his now soaking shirt.

Turning back towards the bathtub, Eren was peaking his head above the rim while flipping his tail around. “You little shit.” He laughed again and went under the water.

While Eren was making a mess in his bathroom, Levi decided to make breakfast. He could hear the water splashing onto the floor and Eren making noises. Although he was getting water everywhere, Levi smiled to himself. Eren was laughing and smiling again and that’s all that mattered.

Everything made sense now; the injury, the confusion, that Armin kid. He was glad to know what really happened.

But why were they looking for him? Was he lost? Is that why Eren was hanging around him so much, because he didn’t know where to go? _Does that even make sense?_ Levi thought to himself.

Putting the eggs and bacon onto plates, Levi called for Eren. He didn’t think he would get a reply, but it made Levi freeze.

He walked slowly towards the bathroom, careful of the creaky spots in the floor, and put his ear on the bathroom door.

Was Eren singing?

The sound was breath taking. It was a sound that he never heard before. It was alluring, and he couldn’t walk away. If he could sit there forever and listen to it, he would.

Opening the door, he stared at Eren. His eyes were closed and he was waving his tail around, almost like he was conducting himself.

Levi stood there and closed his eyes, admiring the sweet sound that hit his ears. Then the music stopped.

Opening his eyes, he saw Eren looking at him curiously. Levi blushed and ran out the room, shutting the door behind him. “E-Eren get out of the tub or your breakfast will get cold!”

_What the hell was that?_ He thought as he shook his head and walked into the kitchen. He heard splashing noises, indicating Eren got out finally.

Half an hour later Eren ran out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. “Microwave.” Levi said as he sat on the couch watching the morning weather. “Thanks Levi!”

Eren sat on the other side of the couch with his breakfast and pouted. “This is boring.. lets watch a movie!”

“What movie do you want to watch.” Eren looked down at his plate and back up to Levi. “The egg movie!”

“Eren. There isn’t a movie about eggs.” To be fair, Eren has only seen one movie and it was about a kid who wanted to become a chef, it was some weird movie he found at the store and Eren insisted they got it.

“But why! Eggs are so good! There should be a movie about them!”

“I have a box of movies in my closet, go in there and pick one.” Eren nodded and ran into the other room.

As Levi switched the channel to the DVD player, he heard his phone vibrate. It amazed him how long the battery life is for phones, he doesn’t even remember the last time he charged it.

_Hanji: LEEEEVVVVIIIIIII(: !!!!_

He sighed, wasn’t it late over there? Then again he wondered if she ever slept.

_Me: What._

Just then his phone began ringing. Instead of texting, Hanji decided to call him instead. He decided to put his phone in between the couch cushions, he didn’t feel like talking to her at the moment.

Soon after that, Eren ran back into the room with a bunch of different movies. As he sat on the floor, he looked up at Levi confused and got back up to sit next to him.

“Levi? What’s this movie about?” Levi snorted at the irony, Eren managed to find his copy of The Little Mermaid.

“It’s a movie about a mermaid that wants to be human.” Eren mouthed “Oh” and smiled, “lets watch this one!”

Levi lifted his eyebrow, “Really?” Eren nodded and handed him the tape. Yep. Tape. It was his VHS copy.

Luckily, he had his original DVD/VHS player instead of getting a new one like he had planned to do since it liked to skip here and there. Inserting the VHs into the slot, he groaned as he realized he had to rewind it. The joys of a VHS tape.

As soon as it was finished, he sat back down and played it. During the movie, he couldn’t help but watch Eren. He would look confused, happy, sad, every emotion he could think of. He also remembered that Eren is a question asker, whenever he got confused about something he would ask instead of watching or waiting till the end.

“Why does she wear shells?”

“Why does she talk to fish?”

“Is that the bad guy?”

“I thought they were called forks?”

The list goes on and on. Usually it annoyed him when people did that, Hanji was especially bad at it, but he didn’t mind when Eren did it.

One part of the movie reminded Levi of what he wanted to ask Eren, about why his sister and friend came to get him. He didn’t understand how the song “Kiss the Girl” reminded him of that but whatever.

“Hey Eren.” Eren turned towards him while still bobbing his head at the song. “Why did they come to get you?”

Eren turned back towards the tv, “Can I tell you after the movie..” Levi nodded and focused his attention back towards the tv as well.

* * *

Eren looked uncomfortable after the movie ended. He wouldn’t stop fidgeting and he avoided eye contact. “It’s kind of a long story..” He finally said. “Well we got time, or you could make it short.”

Eren finally looked at him and nodded. “They came to get me, because I swam away.”

“Swam away?”

“Yeah.. like I left home.” Levi nodded in understanding.

“Why did you run away?”

“Because I couldn’t handle the responsibility. My father, well.. he’s kinda like that triton guy from the movie. He’s the leader of our pod and I’m the next in line. A couple of months ago him and the other males of our group disappeared when they went searching for food in the north. The only males left were Armin and I. because of that, the rest of the group expected me to take over.”

“You and he are the only males left? Why did all the males go?”

“Well I had to stay in case something happened, and Armin is our healer so he had to stay in case someone got sick.”

“So you couldn’t handle the pressure of leading them?”

“It wasn’t the pressure that was so bad.. I had my sister there too and she’s more of a leader than I am so she helped me out at first..”

“Then why leave if everything was okay?” Levi could tell Eren was hiding something. The real reason he didn’t want to stay.

“Promise you wont laugh at me..?” Eren asked with red cheeks. Levi nodded, “I promise.”

“I didn’t want to stay because..” He took in a deep breath, “I didn’t want to mate with the females..”

Levi cocked an eyebrow at his statement. “What?”

“I.. didn’t want to mate with the females..” Eren looked down at the ground while fidgeting with his fingers.

“I’m confused..” Levi said as he looked at Eren, waiting for an explanation.

“With all the mature males gone, it’s my responsibility to repopulate the pod.. I already helped 3 females get pregnant but it felt wrong and I didn’t want to do it anymore..” Eren sank into the couch a little.

“Wait.. you got 3 girls pregnant?” Levi asked and Eren nodded, “Because Armin already has a mate and I’m unmated and the next leader, I had to do it.”

“But if you’re not there then how will they repopulate?”

“There are young males almost that age.. when the time comes they can help..”

“Well who’s going to help take care of the kids? Isn’t that your job since you’re the father?” Eren laughed at his comment and shook his head, “No, in our pod everyone helps out. My father helped repopulate before and they weren’t considered his because he was doing his job, Mikasa and I are his because we came from his mate. If that makes sense?”

Levi nodded his head slowly, “So you left because you don’t want to be someone who is only good for repopulating?”

Eren nodded, “I know it sounds silly but it just doesn’t feel right.. I kinda expected mating to be much more than that.. I tried to do it for the good of our species but I just couldn’t..”

Levi sighed and got up, “hey, how about we run to the store. Were out of a couple things and if you’re good in the store maybe we’ll have spaghetti tonight.”

Eren smiled and ran towards the door. “Don’t forget a shirt!” Levi said as he got his wallet and keys.

“Oh yeah!”

Levi shook his head and walked out the door. He didn’t really need to go to the store but he felt like Eren needed something to take his mind off of the subject. He felt bad for Eren, his only job being to repopulate. He’d run away too if that’s all they would need him for.

“Ready!” Eren said as he walked back out with his shirt inside out and backwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so i don't want this story to be a short story and i was hoping to space out everything i had planned for the two cuties, so i was wondering how everyone would feel about giving me ideas for some filler chapters??? i have some ideas but i thought it would be fun to allow you guys to add in what you all would want to happen as well??? if that makes sense XD


	7. Breathe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay a new chapter! I'm going to try and post once a week from now on. I don't want to make you guys wait months so i'm gonna squeeze in writing when I have time!   
> Oh and just so you all know I made a Wattpad account about a month ago where I will be updating my stories as well. I know that I like to read stories from the Wattpad app a little better than I do from here so I decided to do it! Enjoy the story!

Being around crowds of people was definitely not something Levi enjoyed. He didn’t mind a couple people but when he couldn’t see what’s in front of him, it was a problem.

To get out of the house, Levi decided to bring Eren to a little outlet mall in town. It was something small and he didn’t think many people would be out that day. Boy was he wrong.

He lost Eren a couple times since he couldn’t see over people and Eren liked to run off every time he saw something he liked.

“Levi please!” Eren begged as he saw a little puppy licking the display glass.

Levi sighed and walked into the pet shop with Eren. He didn’t plan on getting an animal today, so he’ll just let Eren enjoy himself by looking.

Eren switch from display to display, looking at the different cats and dogs. He would hop up and down every time, Levi even noticed the workers watching him every now and then.

Levi walked over to the little display cases which had hamsters and other little animals in them.

“Is there anything I can help you with today sir?” a lady asked as she put a snake in its cage.

“No thanks.” Levi replied and turned to see Eren mimicking the store parrot.

He laughed to himself when he would see Eren bob his head like the bird or repeat words.

“Levi!” Eren looked over and pouted.

“C’mon, lets go look around other stores.” Levi said as he turned to walk out. “We should probably find you some more clothes while were here.” Eren nodded with a smile.

After visiting several different shops, Levi was ready to leave. He felt like an old man when he started to get tired from walking around that much but he would bear it since Eren seemed to be having fun.

“Levi look!” Eren shouted and ran towards another store. Levi rolled his eyes and followed.

When he walked in he realized it was another pet store. He didn’t understand why there would be two in the same mall, but he shrugged it off. As he started walking around he realized it wasn’t a major pet store chain but instead a little family owned store.

Searching for Eren, Levi walked around the store and felt something grab his pants. Looking down and noticed a little Shetland sheepdog puppy wanting to play. He smiled and bent down to pet the little dog, instantly rolling over so he’d have better access to her tummy.

“That’s Roundabout, she’s the owners dog. She likes to come to work sometimes.” The lady behind him said as she laughed. Levi lifted a brow and asked, “her name is roundabout?”

The lady nodded, “watch.” She than called for the puppy and tapped her tail. The puppy instantly started to run in circles after her little tail.

Levi smiled and got back up. “Levi!” He heard Eren call him from near the front of the store, so he petted Roundabout one more time and nodded towards the lady.

When he got towards the front he saw Eren looking at a cage. “Levi please!” he begged. Looking inside the cage, Levi saw a bearded dragon with no tail.

“Yeah, poor little guy. The man who owned him had three other beardies in the cage with him and they weren’t very nice.” An older lady, who he assumed was the owner, said.

Eren looked at Levi with big puppy eyes, “Eren you don’t even know what that is.”

“Uhuh! She just said it was a beardie!” Eren said as he looked back into the cage. “Please Levi! I promise to take care of him!”

“Do you even know what they eat? Or how to take care of them?” Levi crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. “I can learn!”

“Would you like to hold him? He’s friendly.” The lady smiled as Eren nodded his head _enthusiastically._

She came around the counter and opened the cage, as soon as she pulled the beardie out he tried to climb onto Eren’s shoulder. Eren giggled as he held the beardie and stroked his head.

He looked at Levi with a pout. “Look Levi he likes me.”

Levi sighed as he thought about it. When he started work again Eren would be lonely by himself for hours and a pet that doesn’t make noise or make messes could be ok.

“You’re going to be the one taking care of him, do you understand?”

Eren smiled wide and nodded. “That’s wonderful! Oh he’ll be so happy to be going to a new home.” The lady responded as she went to gather some items. The little cage that he was in was just for the day, the real one the own left was in the back with some items he would need. The only thing Levi needed to get was some food and a heating lamp.

“You get to hold these.” Levi handed Eren a bag of crickets. Eren grabbed the bag slowly, obviously not liking the bugs, and nodded.

Other employees from the store helped them bring the items to the car, “Is there anything else you guys need?” one of the guys asked. Levi shook his head and thanked them before getting into his car.

Eren hopped into the passenger seat with his new pet on his shoulder, smiling at Levi. “Thank you Levi!”

“Uhuh.” He responded before pulling off.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quick. Levi helped Eren bring all the items in and found a place in his room to put it. He then went through the clothes he bought for Eren and hung them nicely in his closet.

When he walked back out to the living room he saw Eren laying on the floor with the beardie, both just staring at each other. “So what are you going to name him?”

“I’m not sure. What would you name him?” Eren looked up at him.

“I don’t know, dragon?” Levi shrugged, he’s not very original at coming up with names.

“Alright, dragon it is!” Eren smiled and turned back towards Dragon.

Levi sighed and walked into the kitchen to start dinner. Glancing back towards Eren, he found it odd that he was ok with him staying. Being the introvert that he is, he never really thought about sharing a place with someone. Sure, one day he’d get married and would share everything with someone, but why was he ok with Eren?

He didn’t feel bad for him, he got himself out of a shitty situation. Was it because of what he is? Nah, most of the time he forgot that he was this ‘mythical’ creature. Then why was he different?

Just then he heard Eren humming a song he didn’t recognize to Dragon. “I didn’t know you could sing.” he said to him. That was another thing that he’s been wondering about. Why did he feel weird when Eren sang?

“Yeah, we all can sing. Can’t you sing?” Eren asked as he walked up behind Levi. Levi jumped slightly with the sudden presence and shook his head. “you sound good.” A slight blush crept up onto his cheeks as he turned around away from Eren.

Eren laughed a little and sat on the counter. “It’s sounds nice but we don’t do it often.”

Levi turned and cocked his head, “and why is that?” Eren sighed and looked towards Dragon, who was busy trying to climb up onto the couch.

“Our people used to sing a long time ago, that is, until others started getting hurt.”

Levi cocked an eyebrow and leaned against the counter. “People got hurt?”

Eren nodded. “I heard from my father that a long time ago, when we would come up to the surface, we would sing for travelers crossing the sea. When we would sing, the boats that they sailed on would crash.”

“Oh like those.. uh.. siren songs or something like that?” Levi asked. Eren tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. Levi rolled his eyes, “they used to say how sirens lured sailors to their death with their songs.”

Eren gasped and shook his head. “It was never intentional! We never meant to hurt anybody..”

“I know Eren.” He said reassuringly. Eren looked up at him and then jumped off the counter. “Levi! Let’s go swimming!”

Levi tensed up and waved his hand, “you go have fun, I’ll start dinner.” As he turned, Eren grabbed his hand gently and smiled. “It’ll be fun this time, I promise. Plus, the suns starting to go down so it’s perfect!”

“Fine.” Levi went to change while Eren stripped himself of his clothes and ran outside.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared. He wanted to trust Eren but for some reason it was hard for him to.

As he walked out of the house, he stared at the sea. How long has it been since he walked out and just admired the beauty of the sun hitting the water or the sound of the waves.

He saw Eren resting his arms on the dock and slowly began to walk towards him. With each step he could feel the sand moving around him. He wished he could swim, he would love to finally venture out into the sea he loved.

Finally reaching the end of the dock, he sat down at the edge and let the waves wash over his lower body. He saw Eren swimming just a few feet in front of him and wished he could just jump in and join him.

Eren seemed to notice him watching and swam up to him, resting his head on his thigh. Levi sat his hand on Eren’s head and watched as Eren started to purr.

Eren then jumped off back into the water and held both of Levi’s hands, motioning him to join in. Levi pulled away, “Eren you know I can’t swim.”

Eren smiled and held his hands again, begging with his eyes for Levi to trust him.

Levi took a deep breath and nodded. He pulled one hand free to hold himself onto the dock while he slowly lowered himself into the water. What scared him the most at that moment was that he couldn’t touch the ground and he didn’t know how deep the water was.

Sensing his fear, Eren wrapped an arm around Levi’s waist and motioned for him to wrap his arms around his neck. Levi looked up at him and after a couple of seconds, nodded.

Wrapping both arms around him, Levi felt calmer. He wasn’t going under and he wasn’t in any danger.

He heard Eren make a noise and looked to see him looking down at him. Smiling, Eren slowly started to move onto his back, swimming further out into the ocean. Levi instantly started to tense up but relaxed and Eren didn’t dive down.

He watched as the sun started to descend into the blue-orange sea and smiled. It felt nice to see it from the ocean instead of the shore.

Levi laid his head on Eren’s chest as they both drifted, slowly bobbing from the small waves.

As they drifted far out away from the shore, Levi scanned the area around him. It was beautiful. He looked down into the water and saw schools of fish swimming just beneath them. He heard Eren squeak and looked up at him.

Slowly, Eren began to sink into the water to swim upright, holding onto Levi’s hands as he floated. “E-Eren!” Levi said as he tried to grab onto his shoulders for more support.

Eren shook his head and put more distance between them. He then mimicked the act of deep breathing and motioned for Levi to do so. It took a couple seconds, but Levi then got used to floating (somewhat) on his own.

“This.. isn’t so bad..” Levi said as he let go of one of Eren’s hands to steady himself.

Eren then started to move his free arm in an up in down motion, Waiting for Levi to do the same. Levi mimicked the motion and realized that it helped him stay above the water.

Grabbing Levi’s hand, Eren nodded his head and slowly began to release him. “Eren no!” Levi screamed as he clung to his chest. Eren held on to him tightly, realizing that maybe it wasn’t the time for that yet.

Gripping his shoulders, Levi looked around them again and sighed. “C-Can we go back now..”

When he got no response, he looked up to try and get his attention when he noticed Eren was already looking at him. He couldn’t look away from those sea green eyes. The way the sun set left a soft glow on Eren’s already tan skin.

Levi looked down to try and hide the blush forming; he knew Eren was good looking yet now when he looked at him, it made him feel weird. He didn’t want to look up again, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to face these new feelings; he didn’t even fully understand them yet.

Eren held onto him tighter and nudged his head. When he glanced up, he noticed that Eren was slightly blushing as well. He didn’t want to deal with this right now. He wanted to touch the ground again. Maybe he could go to a pool or something and try to learn how to swim, that’ll be better than freaking out in the ocean.

While he was in thought, Eren moved his hand under Levi’s chin. Levi flinched but tilted his head up anyway with the gentle force of the fingers.

Eren touched their foreheads together and made a little meow like sound. Levi had no idea what it meant but he didn’t really care at the moment. “E-Eren, we should really-“

He was cut off by a pair of lips.

The kiss was short, too short for his liking. He didn’t even know if it was short, his brain couldn’t recognize what was happening until it was over.

Eren rested his head on Levi’s, looking at him with a serious look in his eyes. He began mouthing words, but Levi couldn’t look.

Just then, Eren pulled away with a look that said ‘I’m sorry’ and dove into the water, with Levi.

He tried to fight it. He tried to get out of Eren’s grasp. He didn’t understand. Why was this happening. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he began to panic. Widely thrashing his limbs to try to get back up to the surface. Every time he moved, Eren drug him down further.

He couldn’t think, he couldn’t move.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his body shaking from fear, his breathing on the verge of hyperventilating. Wait…

_Breathing?_


End file.
